The Smith Family Reunion… Martin, Welcome to California!

Okay, so it was technically my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary, but seeing how my mom’s entire side of the family was there to celebrate, it did take on the qualities of a standard family reunion…a weekend away with the entire family, the uncomfortable conversations with the grandparents about how much more you should be doing with your life and the excessive drinking required to forgot those conversations and reconnect with the family…. Did I mention Martin landed on Friday and, after not seeing him for 6 weeks and a 15 hour flight, he experienced the full family assault of 2 grandparents, 2 uncles, 2 aunts, 2 cousins (both with fiances) my parents, brother, sister and brother-in-law. In my defense, I gave Martin full disclosure of the weekend before he bought his flight, so in my eyes, he is either a glutton for pain or he really loves me.

Feeling slightly guilty for the two day attack, I was able to dodge the mid-Saturday activities and take Martin to the Sacramento River for some swimming and fishing…jumping at the opportunity for an afternoon sans family, my sister, Ray and Dad all decided to offer their assistance in teaching Martin how to fly fish. The afternoon was a serious flashback to my childhood: sitting on the rocks at Wilburs, eating deli sandwiches, floating down the river on inner tubes, warming up in the “hot tub” (actually just Castle Creek built up to create a nice swimming hole) and shading ourselves from the sun with our “river hats” (made using elephant ear leaves). Martin’s first attempt at fishing was to be expected given the time of day and location… in short, uneventful.

On a mission to catch a fish before the day was over, my dad, grandpa and Martin all went out fishing that evening before dinner. And in an effort to eat dinner before 10pm, I was put in charge of BBQ-ing the tri-tip for 17 people while they were gone. Brilliant idea. Thankfully the guys returned before I could do too much damage to the meat, and they brought good news with them…this time Martin had caught a fish!, although the size of it might have been closer to a guppy, but there is no need to split hairs. To celebrate the anniversary, the new engagements (both cousins) and to make Martin feel more comfortable (that one might have been solely motivated by both me and my father), the night continued on with champagne, wine, beer, tequila and grappa… way too much grappa… a whole bottle of grappa to be exact, split between Martin, my dad, my brother and me. Martin was officially welcomed into the family.

Slightly groggy from the big night before, we still managed to wake up in time for breakfast with the family and one last shot at Martin catching a fish. Thankfully, the cold water of the river and a Burger Barn burger pulled me to my senses and I was able to properly congratulate Martin on his three fish caught. We left Dunsmuir feeling successful and happy, Martin had not only caught a fish, but we had survived the most stressful part of the holiday…We were off to San Francisco for some sight-seeing and time alone.